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MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY
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HARMONIA RURALIS;
AN ESSAY
towards
AN ATURAL HISTORY
BRITISH
SO N.G BTR brs.
ree
VOLUME THE FIRST.
shed erO dee dor der
ILLUSTRATED
with Figures the Size of Life, of the Birds, Male and Female,
in their most natural Attitudes ;
their Nests and Eggs, Food, favourite Plants, Shrubs, Trees, &c. &c.
FAITHFULLY DRAWN, ENGRAVED, AND COLOURED
AFTER NATURE,
By the Author,
ON FORTY COPPER-PLATES,
eabeederd Oder der doe
The Warblers are heard in the Grove,
The Linnet, the Lark, and the Thrush,
The Blackbird and soft-cooing Dove,
With Music enchant every Bush,
seb eeb eed eter
NATURA SEMPER EADEM, SED ARTES SUNT VARI.
arbed eed Oder der den
BY FAMES B eh
umount
PRINTED FOR AND SOLD BY THE AUTH OR AT STANNARY, NEAR HALIFAX;
SOLD ALSO BY B. AND J. WHITE, IN LONDON, AND MAY
BE HAD OF ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS.
1794.
TO.
THE BRITISH LADIES,
NATURALES® S;
and to
all such as admire
THE BEAUTY OR MELODY
of the
Feathered Warblers,
HTS ESSAY
towards
A NATURAL HISTORY
of
BREEISH SONG BIRDS,
is most respectfully inscribed
by |
their obedient
and humble Servant,
The Author.
Megs
Lea
;
PREFACE.
de Oderare
Ornithology being a very extensive branch of Natural History, complete works on .
that subject, if well executed, must be attended with very great expence to the pub-
lisher, and consequently must cost an high price to the purchasers of copies. I
hope, therefore, it will not be unacceptable to the lovers of Songbirds, to be
possessed of an’ History of these alone, separated from all the rest.
No one who takes a walk in the fields in a summer morning, can fail of being
agreeably entertained by the Feathered Warblers, and may perhaps return with a
wish to be informed in the history of the individuals which have afforded pleasire
of so refined and so exalted a kind.
The country gentleman, who is descrous to. know what species of Birds they are
which with ther song so agreeably enliven the trees in his avenue, or the shrubs
an his wilderness, may not be willing to go to the enormous expence of a general
Mistory of Birds, with figures faithfully drawn, and coloured from nature.
The lady who gives place in the apartments of her house to a few pretty Song-
birds, may wish to be informed of their manners, nests, eggs, food, places of resort,
&c. Gc. in a wild state, or state of nature; at the same time having no desire
to acquaint herself with the history of the vulture, the cormorant, the crow, the
gull, the booby, the dottrell, Sc. Sc.
The Nests of Birds, containing the Eggs, faithfully copied from the natural |
subjects, will not, I trust, be unacceptable to ladies, to ornithologists, and to
all those who find pleasure in contemplating the works of nature.
The Eggs on many of the British Birds, are excellently figured in a superb
work on British Birds, now publishing by Mr. Lewin. These were painted
From the natural subjects in the late Portland Museum, most of which subjects
were
vi hee PREFACE,
eb erbderdee
were collected i” Yorkshire, and communicated to that noble repository by me:
The natural history of a Bird can no more be perfectly known, while we are in
any part ignorant of its nest, eggs, food, habitation, Sc. than we can be said per-
fectly to understand the natural history of a moth or a butterfly, at the same time
that we are ignorant of the caterpillar and the aur urelia, from which this moth, or
that butterfly was produced.
_ Birds, considered in respect to the elegance of heir shape, and diversity and
brilliancy of their colours, are doubtless superior to any other class in the brute
"creation, Where can we find a more beautiful piece of mechanism than in the
wing of a Bird displayed, or even ina single feather, when. minutely examined 2
There is an easy and elegant sweep in the outline which corcumscribes a Bird, per
haps not to be found in that of any other animal, and the beautiful arrangement of
the feathers in every part claims our admiration. ’T is pity to observe, that in
most figures of Birds, the feathers are either wholly disregarded, or else most vilely
mangled, most- wickedly deranged. ;
In describing the nests, though I have mentioned the materials which composed
the individual under notice, 2¢ must not however be understood, that the same
species of Burd always strictly confines itself to the same materials, though in
general we find tt so; for I have seen many instances to the contrary, one of
which I will give as J find it in my notes concerning Birds. On the tenth of May,
— A.D. 1762, I observed a pair of goldfinches beginning to make their nest in
my garden; they had formed the groundwork with moss, grass, Sc. as usual, but
on my scattering small parcels of wool in different parts of the garden, they in a
great measure left off the. use of their own stuff, and employed the wool; after-
ward, I gave them cotton, on which they rejected the wool, and proceeded -with
cotton; the third day I supplied them with fine down, on which they forsook both the
other, and finished therr work with this last article. The nest, when completed,
" was somewhat larger than is usually made by this bird, but retained the pretty
roundness of figures and neatness of workmanship, which is proper to the gold-
finch. The nest was completed in the space of three days, and remained unoccupied
Jor the space of four days, the first egg not beng laid till the seventh day from
beginning the work.
The descriptions of the Birds, though plain and simple, are nevertheless true,
being made immedzately from a close examinaiton of the Birds themselves. If they
: be
PREFACE, . Vili
be found to disagree with the descriptions given by “others, as of course they must
an little particulars, 2t must be observed, that the colowrs of some Birds vary
according to age, some species not arriving at the perfect state of their feathering
dill three or four years old. I have endeavoured, however, to make choice of
the most perfect subjects, and as I found them in their wild state, not cramped
or mutilated by being confined in cages.
In the same genus or family of Birds there 15 a general similarity or agree-
ment prevails amongst the species, in the figure and situation of the nests, as well
as in the materials of which they are composed, and the eggs which they contain.
The various species of larks compose their nests of dried’ grass and hair,
placing them on the ground. Linnets chuse out some low bush, and compose their
nests of moss, hair, and down. Finches nestle in some prickly shrub or tree, and
fabricate their nests with small sticks, moss, wool, roots, hair, and feathers.
Wrens and most of the summer warblers hide their nests under brakes or bushes
near the ground, in walls or hollow trees, and make use of fern, moss, grass, hair,
and feathers. But be the matter of which the nests are composed, or the place
where they are found, what they may, there is in every species something peculiar
to itself, im the size, form, and habit of the nest and eggs together, by which any
one that has well observed them, is enableil to say with certainty, on sight of the
nest and eggs, to what Bird they belong.
The Eggs, in some species, are subject to variety in respect of colour ; the tit-
_ lark, for instance, 1s a perfect Proteus in this particular, not only in separate nests,
but in the same individual. I have seen nests of this bird with five or six eggs,
and not two amongst them precisely alike, erther in the markings, or the hue of
colour. The Eggs of the lesser field-lark are also variable in colour.
The greater and lesser crested larks, though said to be natives of Yorkshire,
are rarities-I have not yet been able to discovery though I have Sor many years
_ made diligent search after them.
*. That the male birds in the skylark, the lesser field-lark, and the woodlark, have
a power of raising the feathers on the crown, in form of a crest, and that they do
erect them in breeding -time, I very well know ; but as to what are called crested
larks, if specifically distinct_from these, are birds with which I am unacquainted ;
and if any one will favour me by sending fair specimens of meres alive or dead, the
obligation shall be gratefully acknowledged by me.
If
Vill PREFACE.
adeeb Sender
If the keepers of cage birds should find fault with this essay, because I have not
allotted a particular chapter to the diseases and cure of each species, I would re-
fer them to a well-known litle book of Songbirds, by Mr. Eleazar Albin, where
they will find enough sard on this subject, most of which he transcribes from Ray's
edition of Willoughby’s Ornithology, as Ray before him had done from other
writers on the subject, as far back as to the time of Aldrovandus and Gesner.
Such of theSongbirds as abide with us all the year, feed on various kinds of seeds,
fruits, and insects. The goldfinch, chafinch, linnets, Sc. delight in the seeds of the
various species of thistle, ragwort, groundsell, and other downy seeded plants. The
yellow-hammer, bunting, reed-sparrow, Sc. on grain, and the seeds of grass and
reed. Thrushes on berries, worms, small snails, and beetles, of all which a sufficient
supply may easily be obtained during the warmer months ; and uf the kechers of cage
birds would be at a litile pains to provide them with their natural food, it would tend
much to the health and value of those birds ; whereas they are often destroyed, or
spoiled, by feeding on old musty seeds, stale sour bread, and putrid water. The
summer warblers must be fed with animal food, of all which the various species
of flies; brought to them alive, are the most agreeable.
But in one, as well as the other, your success chiefly depends on the freshness
and sweetness of their food and water, in not giving them too large a quantity ai
one time, and too long neglecting them at another ; in placing them in an airy,
well-lighted room ; in securing them from the severity of the winter’s cold, and
screening them from the scorching heat of summer; in keeping their apartments
free from cats, mice, or other vermin ; and in keeping their cages, cups, boxes,
and every thing about them, at all times, perfectly sweet and clean.
At the heads of the descriptions I have given the Linnean names of the Birds,
with references to the Systema Nature of that Author; and at the end of the
other volume will be given an index, with references to the figures of Authors.
The second volume, which completes the work, will contain the same number of
plates as this, and will be published in due time.
STANNARY, NEAR HALIFAX, »
April the rst, 17946
' Books published by the Author,
I. An HISTORY OF BRITISH FERNS, in Two Parts, Royal Quarto, with Figures of all the Species and
Varieties, drawn, engraved, and coloured from Nature, by the Author, Price, in Boards, 2/. 25.
II. An HISTORY OF FUNGUSSES growing about HALIFAX, with the Appendix, Four Volumes, Royat
Quarto, with 182 Plates, containing a great Number of Figures, all drawn, engraved, and pesuneally coloured,
by the Author, Price, in Boards, 8/. 85.
Sold by the Author, at Stannary, near Halifax; by B. and J. White, in London; J. Todd, York; J. Binns,
Leeds; and by all other Booksellers.
sete ;
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STURNUS. VULGARIS.
Linnaei Syst. Nat. 290.
THE STARLING, OR STARE.
IP WNIIO IG
Ti. Starling i in shape resembles the common black-
bird, but is inferior in size. The bill is compressed,
broad at the tip; in the cock of a pale yellow, in the
hen dusky; the irids of the eyes are brown, paler on
the upper side.
The head, neck, back, throat, breast, and belly, are
black, with a gloss of purple, varying into green, very
bright and glistering.
_ The feathers are narrow and pointed, and those on
the neck, back, rump, and on the thighs, in the male
bird, are tipped with a brownish colour at their extreme
_ points. In the female these spots are paler, larger, and
more numerous, being extended over the whole head,
neck, breast, and belly.
The first quill feathers of the wing are of a dusky
black, with narrow borders of a pale brown. The sec-
ond quills are of the same colour, with a shade of a
darker hue near the tip. The covert feathers glister with
green, and those next the shoulder of the wing are some
of them pointed with brown. The tail is shorter than
that of the blackbird, a little forked, and of a dusky
black; the feathers have narrow borders ofa pale brown.
The legs and feet are of a yellowish flesh colour; the
claws horn colour, with black tips.
Their food is worms, beetles, and various kinds of
berries, and in this part of the kingdom they seem to be
particularly fond of those of the * berry-bearing-heath,
crowberries, of which I have given a figure, with its fruit,
at the bottom of the plate.
* Empetrum nigrum.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THESTARLING.
PLATE II.
Starlings make their nests in old buildings, such as
castles, towers, &c. and sometimes 1n the clefts of rocks.
The nest before me is formed of straw in the lower
part, in the middle with a coarse kind of hay, and the
inner coat or lining of fine soft hay, with a few feathers.
The whole is a rude and loosely compacted fabrick,
neither firm nor handsome.
In this nest was four eggs, about the size of those of
the throstle, they are of a pale bright blue, with a cast
of green, and are destitute of spots.
The Starling is not valued for his own song, but for
the beauty of his plumage, for his docility and aptness
in learning to whistle or to speak.
Those who. wish to have good birds for caging,
should have them taken out of the nest at three or four
days old; for if they are suffered to remain ten or
twelve days in the nest, they will retain, for their whole
lives, too much of their own harsh notes and disagree-
able scream.
As soon as they are taken out of the nest, they may
be kept ina small basket, with soft dry moss. Let them
be kept reasonably warm, and fed often, giving them but
little ata time. Let the moss be renewed every day, and
let them at all times be kept dry and clean, for on this
care depends your success. Such tunes or notes as you
wish them to learn, should be played or whistled to
them, from the first day you take them out of the nest.
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TURDUS VISCIVORUS.
Lin. Syst. Nat. 291.
THE MISSELBIRD.
PLATE Ill.
ee is the largest of the British song birds, being ten
inches and an half long. My figure in plate the third is
a little reduced to bring it within compass. The bill is
short and strong, the upper chap pretty much curved,
and of a black colour; the lower is dusky at the point,
and horn coloured at the base.
Between the bill and the eyes is a bed of white downy
feathers, and several upright black bristles grow about
the base of the bill. The inside of the mouth is yellow,
the eyes brown, and the feathers which cover the ears
are of a pale colour.
The head is of a dusky ash colour, with a strong cast
of olive, the back and rump are olive colour, the latter
more yellowish.
The tail consists of twelve feathers of the same colour
as the back, except the two outmost on each side,
which at the tips are clouded with white.
The lower side of the bird, from bill to tail, is ae
with a dash of yellow brown on the sides of the breast,
and under the wings, and all the white part is beauti-
fully spotted with black spots of various shapes; those on
the throat and upper part of the breast are triangular,
on the lower part oval or kidney-shaped, and towards
the tail lunated.
The legs and feet are yellow, the claws are black,
very much curved, and sharp pointed.
The wing 1s olive-coloured, the first and second quills
having white tips. The coverts have broad white mar-
gins. Feeds on the berries of * masseltoe when it can find
them ; it also eats insects, bilberries, haws, and other
small fruits, like the rest of the thrushes.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE MISSELBIRD.
PLATE IV.
The Misselbird most commonly places her nest in an
ash tree, at the coming out of one of the branches, a
good height from the ground. In the nest before me
the first lay consists of von kinds of moss, hay, stalks
of dried plants, &c. which being brought in great plenty,
and disposed in a very rugged manner, constitute the
chief part of the fabri ge Upon this follows a lay of
plaster, composed of clay mixed with cow’s dung, so
well tempered together as to form, when dry, an hard
tough shell of about half an inch thick. Upon this is
laid another covering of seft dry grass, which is neatly
platted both in the cavity and all round the borders
of the nest. ‘The diameter of the cavity is about four
inches, the depth not fully two.
This nest was built between the triple division of the
branch of an ash tree, and hung all round with the * ash-
liwerwort, so as to hide it on every side. On removing
it I found that some part of the liverwort grew from
the tree above and round about the nest; but the greater
part of it was very artfully wove in with the grass and
moss on the outer margin of the brim, and left to hang
loose about the sides of the nest, just as it hung on other
parts of the tree. By this artifice the bird often secures
her nest, concealing it from the gape of the ignorant
country bumpkin, or the pr ying eye of the meee
school-boy. How cunning is nature in the indulgence
and preservation of her species!
She lays four eggs of a dusky flesh colour, having a
cast of green, and large spots of brown or purple. The
Misselbird is the earliest of our song birds. In the
month of January, if the weather is mild, he sings most
sweetly; his song resembles that of the throstle, but his
pipe is sweeter, and his notes more mellow.
* Lichen fraxineus.
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TURDUS MUSICUS.
Syst. Nat. 292.
SONG THRUSH, OR THROSTLE.
PLAC:
Aeke bill is an inch long, the upper mandible of a
dusky colour, the lower yellow. The mouth within yel-
low, between the bill and eyes is a pale coloured spot,
and between that and the throat a dark one. The eyes
are brown, large, very bright, and piercing.
The crown of the head, the back, and whole upper
side are of a pleasing olive colour, in some places inclin-
ing to the yellow, as about the lower part of the back, in
others more dusky, as about the head.
In the wings are eighteen quill feathers of a dusky
olive colour, with pale coloured edges. The first and
second covert feathers have white tips, the feathers un-
der the wings are a kind of pale flame colour.
The whole underside of the bird, from bill to tail, is
white, with only a faint dash of olive colour on the
sides of the breast, and the throat, breast, and belly ele-
gantly spotted with black spots of various figures, as in
the last species.
The tail consists of twelve equal feathers of a dark
olive colour. The legs and feet are of a light horn
colour, the toes long and slender, and the claws black.
The Throstle feeds on insects and berries, is fond of
the different kinds of bilberries. I have given figures
of the * cranberry in flower, and with fruit.
The cock bird perches on the uppermost twig of the
tallest trees, and sings stoutly from March to September.
* Vaccinium oxycoccus.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE SONG-THRUSH.
PLATE VI.
Song-Thrushes generally build their nests in some
close thicket, or low bush, near the ground. The out-
side is formed of small sticks, withered leaves, grass, and
various kinds of moss. Plenty of these materials are
huddled together in a loose and negligent manner.
The inmost coat or lining is made of a mixture of clay
and rotten wood, with afew slender blades of withered
grass to bind it together. This coat, in the nest before
me, is near half an inch thick; upon this plaster the
eggs are laid, no grass or soft covering being put upon
ie as in that of the blackbird, tniceelbicd, fee
The eggs are of a beautiful pale blue, with a cast
of green, ona marked with a few distinct purple spots.
The eack is distinguished from the hen by the gen-
eral hue of his colours being brighter and stronger, par-
ticularly by the light-coloured line which. passes om
the bill to the eyes being whiter in the cock, and the
dark-coloured line being | darker.
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TURDUS MERULA.
Syst. Nat. 295.
THE BLACKBIRD, OR OUZLE.
PLATE VII.
‘Le bill is an inch long, in the cock of a fine bright
gold colour, in the hen dusky towards the point, yellow
towards the base. The inside of the mouth is yellow,
the eyes are brown and very bright, the circle round
them yellow.
The whole plumage of the cock, in old birds, is an
intense steady black without glossiness. ‘The hen is
of a dusky black, inclining to brown; the throat and.
upper part of the breast excepted, which are of a dull
dirty white, spotted. with black.
The wing is composed of eighteen feathers, of which
the second order of quills are remarkably large and
broad. The tail consists of twelve feathers, and when
displayed is fan-shaped, the outer feathers being shorter
than the middle ones. The legs and feet are black, or
of a very dark horn colour.
The Ouzle is a solitary bird, accompanying with
his mate only in breeding time. He inhabits solitary
and rocky woods near rivulets; and when surprised in
his lonely haunts, flies from the presence of the intruder
with an hideous loud scream. Their food is insects and
berries, and they seem to delight most in the * hawthorn.
The attitudes of the cock are bold and majestic, par-
ticularly when he feeds. Stooping, displaying his tail,
turning his head this way and that, and casting his eyes
on every side as to avoid a foe.
* Crategus oxycantha.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLACKBIRD.
PLATE VIII.
The Blackbird breeds in solitary places, and conceals
her nest very artfully in the bottom of some close bush
near the ground. The nest before me was built in an
Nthorn where it was concealed by surrounding
branches.
The outside is composed of various kinds of moss,
which is wove and platted together with blades of
grass, dried leaves, &c. These are brought in plenty and
firmly bound together. Upon this is a coat of plaster,
composed of a mixture of clay and cow’s dung, well
wrought and tempered together. And over this a soft
covering of the dried blades of hair-grass, which is
neatly wove and platted together in the. bottom and
sides of the cavity, as well as upon the brim of the nest.
In the nest was four eggs of a dusky blue green, with
numerous small points of a darker colour.
The Blackbird sits concealed while he sings. In
breeding-time, his whistle is so loud and shrill as to
make the dice re-echo. When two are singing
at the same time within hearing of each other, they
will contend in song like the nightingale, each keep-
ing silence alternately till the other has repeated his
song.
The Ouzle, as well as other birds of the thrush kind,
when taken in traps, or otherwise, are easily reclaimed
by being put in large cages with tame birds of the same
species, ‘placing for a fen days, haws, hips, worms, &c.
in the cage, still giving him fewer and fewer every day,
and in the space of a fortnight he will wean himself,
and take the tame birds’ food.
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TURDUS TURQUATUS.
Syst. Nat. 296.
THE RING-OUZLE, OR HEATH-OUZLE.
PLATE) 1X.
oes bird, in shape and size, is equal to the ouzle or
blackbird. In the bird before me, the bill is of a yel-
low ochre colour, except the point, which is dusky.
The mouth is yellow within. The eyes a dark brown.
The whole upper side of the bird, from bill to tail, is
black, witha cast of brown somewhat bright and shining.
The head is of a fuller black than the other parts of the
body. The quill feathers of the wing are the same
colour as the back, except their exterior edges, which
are white. The first and second coverts also have white
edges. The tail is composed of twelve black feathers,
with pale coloured edges.
On the breast of the cock is a lunated mark of a
clear white, terminating in a point on each side of the
neck; else the whole underside of the bird is the same
colour as the back. The hen differs from the cock, in
that the mark is not white on the breast, but of a dusky
brown. The colour of the back is more fuscus. The
feathers on the breast have grey borders, and the bill
is dusky. The feet and legs in both are of a dusky
horn colour.
These birds sometimes visit the mountainous parts
of the West Riding of Yorkshire, where they breed.
They come in April, and leave us in October; but
whence they come, or whither they go, I know not. A
remarkable circumstance 1s, that they do not visit us
reoularly every year. Sometimes a few pairs visit my
neighbourhood, sometimes they come in plenty, and
sometimes for the space of two or three years we see
them not. They feed on fruits and insects. I have figured
the flowers and fruit of the * mowntain-ash, or guicken-
tree.
* Sorbus aucuparia.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE RING-OUZLE.
PLATE X.
The nest I described was composed of many small
sprigs and branches of heath, mixed with moss and
dried stalks of plants. These were plentifully bestowed
on the bottom and sides of the nest, and with them
the figure and cavity thereof was formed ; within this
was a coat of plaster, composed of mud mixed with —
small blades of grass and fibres of roots, and upon the
plaster was another coat of fine soft grass, which also
covered the brim of the nest, and was very neatly and
smoothly laid, as in the nest of the blackbird.
The eggs were four in number. In size and colour
much like those of the blackbird, but are splashed with
broad spots of a red brown, by which they are at once
distinguished from the eggs of that bird.
The outside of the nest was quite covered with dried
oaken leaves, warped or sewed to the other materials
with blades of grass, fibres of roots, &c.
This nest was built on the ledge of a rock, about six
feet from the ground, artfully hid amongst surrounding
heath, mixed with fallen oaken leaves.
The cock sings sweetly in breeding-time. His voice
is less loud than any of the foregoing; but it is soft
and mellow, and he has a pleasing variety of warbling
notes.
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LOXIA PYRRHULA.
Syst. Nat. 300.
THE BULLFINCH, OR NOPE.
PLATE XI.
Die bill is very thick, short, hooked, and black. 'The
eyes are brown and small. The head is of a silky black,
with a gloss of purple, which colour reaches down to
the nape of the neck. The back is of a bluish ash colour.
The rump a pure white. The covert feathers of the tail,
as well as the tail itself, are black, with a purple gloss.
The first quill feathers of the wings are of a dusky
black ; the second quills, a bright glossy black purple,
the innermost excepted, which is red on the exterior —
side of the shaft. The greater coverts are black, deeply
pointed with a pale ash colour. The lesser coverts the
same colour as the back. The upper part of the throat,
and the lower jaws, are surrounded with a list of black,
which unites with the black of the forehead at the eyes.
The cheeks, breast, and upper part of the belly, are of a
soft reddish crimson. The lower part of the belly, and
covert feathers under the tail, are white. The tail con-
sists of twelve feathers of a glossy purple black.
The Bullfinch is not valued for his own song, but
for his beautiful plumage, his great docility and aptness
to take the song of other birds, to whistle after the pipe,
or even to speak. Their food is insects and the buds
of fruit-trees, particularly the apple, pear, and peach.
Therefore they are very destructive to the fruit, when
permitted to haunt fruit-gardens and orchards. I
have figured the cock on a branch of the * wild-apple,
or crab-tree.
* Pyrus malus.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE BULLFINCH.
PLATE XII.
The hen Bullfinch differs from the cock, in that her
breast is not crimson, but of a dusky red brown. The
back is of a dirty ash colour, and the black of the head,
tail, and wings, less bright and glossy.
She builds her nest in woods, particularly where sloe-
bushes and crab-trees abound. For the ground-work
she makes use of a number of small sticks broken off a
proportionable length. These she places cross-wise on
the divisions of a suitable branch, and upon these the
nest is built of woody roots, the largest near the bottom
and round the sides, the smaller within.
The inside, or lining, is made of very fine fibres of
roots, without any other materials.
In the nest before me, the diameter of the cavity is
upwards of two inches and an half, the depth an inch.
This nest contained five eggs of a pale blue green,
with dark purple blotches, and small red spots.
Those who would bring up Bullfinches from the
nest, with a view of teaching them to whistle, or to 1m-
itate the song of other birds, should take them about
four days old; for if they are left to the age of ten or
twelve days, they acquire some of the harsh notes of
the parent, which they will never quit.
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LOXIA CHLORIS.
Syst. Nat. 304.
THE GREENFINCH.
PLATE XIII.
Bes bill is thick, straight, and sharp-pointed, of an
horn colour, except the tip, which is dusky. The eyes
are brown, the eye-lids white. The fore part of the
head, and the cheeks round the bill, are yellow, with
a cast of olive. © The head and back are olive, with
a shade of brown. The rump inclines more to yel-
low. The outer borders of the seven first quill feathers
are of a bright yellow, as are also those of the bastard
wing. The next quills are edged with a dusky green,
and the last are wholly dusky. The first row of cov-
erts are of a dusky ash colour, the second a yellowish
ereen, brighter than the feathers on the back.
The throat and breast are a green yellow, the belly
more yellow, and becomes almost white about the
thighs.
The tail is a little forked, consisting of twelve feathers,
the two middlemost of a dusky black, except the upper
part of the exterior margins, which are olive-coloured.
All the rest are yellow, except about half an inch of
the lower part, which is dusky.
The legs and feet are of a dusky horn colour, and
the claws black.
The colour of the hen is in all parts more dusky and
dull, and in old birds the feathers of the back and
breast have brownish dashes down their shafts.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE GREENFINCH.
PLATE XIV.
The Greenfinch makes her nest in some close hedge
or bush, more frequently in an holly than any other
tree.
She lays for the foundation a number of small sticks,
which cross each other every way, in the same manner
of those of the bullfinch. Upon these, in the nest be-
fore me, is laid a great quantity of coarse moss, mixed
with sticks, roots, and cow’s hair; and upon these,
immediately under the lining, is a thick coat of roots
firmly entangled together, and over these is a thick
coat or lining of red cow’s hair.
The diameter of the cavity is two inches, the depth
an inch and an half. The brim of the nest is ragged and
uneven, and the whole very roughly fabricated.
In this nest was six eggs of a pale bluish white, or
milk and water colour. They are marked with brown
and purple spots.
The Greenfinch feeds on grain, berries, the buds of
trees, and insects.
The song of the Greenfinch is harsh and unpleasing;
but the beautiful colours and fine shape of the cock,
together with his docility and aptness to learn, renders
him well worthy the esteem of those who delight in this
branch of natural history.
The Greenfinch is a stout and hardy bird, and not
subject to diseases, if you keep him clean. They are
sometimes kept in cages in order to ring a chime of
small bells.
They should be fed with rape and canary seeds, for
that of hemp makes them grow fat and lazy.
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EMBERIZA MILIARIA.
Syst. Nat. 304.
THE COMMON BUNTING.
PLATE XV.
Tine bill is large, thick, sharp pointed, and of an horn
colour. The lower chap has a remarkable rising angle
on the side, which rests on the outside of the upper
chap when the mouth is shut. The eyes are brown,
having a narrow circle of white round the eye-lids.
The head is large, covered with feathers of a dusky
olive or lark colour, each having a dark-coloured line
along the shaft.
The back and rump are the same colour with the
head, only they are darker along the middle of the
feathers.
The quill feathers of the wings are dusky, edged
with a pale brown. The covert feathers are also dusky,
with broad borders of a pale bright brown.
The tail is a little forked, consisting of twelve
feathers of a dusky black, with pale brown edges.
The throat, breast, and belly, are of a dull white,
with a dark stroke down the middle of each feather.
These dark spots are more black and distinct on the
throat and breast. On the belly they become narrow
and faint, and disappear below the thighs.
The legs and feet are of a pale horn colour. The
claws crooked, black, and sharp.
The Bunting feeds on grain, and is particularly fond
of the black oat, an ear of which he will snap off with
his bill, and taking it to the next wall, will hold it with
his foot, while he shells off the hull, and eats the grain.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE BUNTING. .
PLATE XVI:
The Bunting builds her nest in some clump of fern,
briers, or tall grass, often near the root of some low
shrub. In the nest before me, the outside is composed
of straw, small sticks, broken rushes, and moss. The
whole of the nest is composed of these materials, save
that the lining has a few hairs mixed amongst it.
The whole is loosely and aukwardly put together,
irregular, and incompact, the cavity is shallow, and
the brim irregular and undefined.
The eggs are large for the size of the bird. The
ground colour is white, and they are beautifully blotch-
ed, spotted, and streaked with black. Some of these
spots and scratches are clear and distinct, others are
dimly seen, appearing as if a blue pellicle was drawn
over them. This last circumstance is not peculiar to
the eggs of the Bunting, but common to those of most
other birds which lay spotted eggs.
The Bunting continues with us all the year round.
In winter is gregarious, flying in flocks, and frequenting
fields of stubble. In breeding-time, the cock perches
on the tops of trees, chirping out his ditty all day long.
His notes are not unpleasant, though low. They are
more mellow and more varied than those of the yellow-
hammer.
The cock is a bold and stately bird, and well deserves
a place amongst other birds, either in a cage, or an
aviary.
The hen differs little from the cock, only her col-
ours in general are paler and fainter.
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EMBERIZA CITRINELLA.
Syst. Nat. 309.
YELLOW-HAMMER.
PLATE XVII.
is bill is straight, sharp-pointed, of a pale yellow
at the base, black at the tip. It has a rising angle on
the lower chap, as in that of the bunting, and the rest
of the genus. The eyes are brown. The tongue short
and thick. The whole head, cheeks, and upper part of
the neck is of a bright yellow in the cock bird, each
feather having a dash or line of black down its shaft.
In some birds there are touches and strains of orange
colour amongst the yellow. The feathers on the back
are a mixture of olive, green, and orange colour, with
a black dash down the middle of each. The lower
part of the back is of a tawny orange colour.
The first quill feathers of the wing are of a dusky
black, with yellow edges. The second also are black,
but with broad margins of a fulvus brown.
The tail is a little forked, consisting of twelve feath-
ers, with yellow-green edges. The two exterior feathers
on each side have a large white spot on their inner
webs.
The throat is yellow. The breast yellow-green, with
orange strains down the feathers. The belly and cov-
ert feathers beneath the tail, are yellow.
The legs and feet are horn colour, the claws black.
The hen differs from the cock, in that her colours
are much duller in all parts, and in having the head,
&c. of a brown green, where the cock is yellow.
_ MCZ Ligeary -
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CSMORIDGE. MA USA
Cob eepeepaerderdee
NEST AND EGGS OF THE YELLOW-HAMMER.
PLATE XVIII.
Yellow-hammers build their nests about the borders
of woods, placing them on or near the ground, under
the shelter of some bush or low shrub.
In the specimen now by me, the outside is formed
with broad blades of withered grass, fragments of leaves,
dried stalks of plants, and various kinds of moss. These
are well and closely compacted together, and with them
the cavity is formed, and the general shape of the nest
constructed. The lining consists of a thick coat of small
fibres of roots, mixed with a few hairs. The diameter of
the cavity is near three inches, the depth an inch and
an half.
The Yellow-hammer lays four or five white eggs,
with blotches and scratches of a brown purple colour.
In winter they fly in flocks. They feed on insects,
on grain, and the seeds of plants, and in spring are fre-
quently seen pecking about the catkins of the * hazle-
tree, birch, alder, &c. ‘They also devour spiders and
small beetles. I have figured the cock on a branch of
the hazle-tree in blossom.
The song of the Yellow-hammer is not excellent,
though not unpleasant; it is short, and not much varied,
but is ingeminated with boldness and spirit; and the
fine shape and pretty colours of the cock bird suf-
ficiently recommend him to all the lovers of this most
beautiful part of animated nature.
* Corylus avellana.
phim
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bebe dee dee dee
EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS.
Syst. Nat. 311.
THE REED-SPARROW.
PLATE XIX.
Ashe bill is straight, sharp-pointed, of a dusky yellow
colour, and has a rising angle on each side of the lower
chap. .
The eyes are brown, having a narrow circle of white
downy feathers round them. :
The head of the cock is black. The cheeks brown
red. Round the neck is a white ring, which takes its
rise at the angles of the mouth on each side. The back
is of.a tawny brown, with a black line down the middle
of each feather. About the rump there is a mixture of
ash-colour with the brown. ‘The quills are of a fuscus
brown, with rust-coloured edges. The first and second
covert feathers of a fuscus black, with broader edges,
and tips of a rust-colour. The chin and throat in the
male are black, the breast and belly white. On the
sides, the middle of the feathers are dusky.
The tail is a little forked. It’ consists of twelve
feathers, of which the middle two are black, with red
edges; the three next, on each side, are dusky, with red
edges’; the fifth is white on the out border, and the
sixth wholly white.
The hen has no black on the head or throat, and the
general hue of her feathers is paler and duller than that
— of the cock. |
The cock sings pleasantly. His voice, as well as his
notes, are much finer and more pleasing than those of
any other bird of the same family.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE REED-SPARROW.
PILAUIE Xe 7
The Reed-sparrow makes her nest near some river,
lake, or pond. Sometimes concealing it amongst sedges,
fern, or rushes. Rarely, she suspends it between the
stalks of the common * English-reed, as in the instance
before us. The nest I now describe was suspended
between three stems of reed, the leaves whereof were
drawn together in such manner as to form a slight kind
of lattice-work, upon which the foundation of the nest
was laid. The nest almost wholly consisted of broken
pieces of dried rushes; the stronger placed near the
bottom, the finer round the brim.
CAMBRIDGE. MA USA
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE TITLARK.
PLATE. XLVI.
The foundation of the nest before me, consists of a
mixture of moss and dry grass, with which also the
greatest part of the work is constructed ; only the fin-
est part is employed in the inside and about the lin-
ing, in which a few fine fibres of roots, and a few hairs
are mixed. The number of eggs is most commonly
five. I know no bird whose eggs are so variable in
colour-as those of the Titlark. I have figured the
most beautiful variety in the nest, plate 46. There is
a variety which is of a dirty gray, having spots of a
dark dusky colour. There is another with the ground
a dark dull brown, and the spots black. ALBIN saw
them of a dark brown colour, and Mr. WatcotT met
with them of a pale green.
But in all these states, the species may be known
by having a regard to the spots; for they are not only
larger than the spots on the eggs of any other species -
of Lark, but they are also softened into the ground
colour, like the spots on the eggs of the Chaffinch,
which those of the eggs of other Larks are not.
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ALAUDA MINOR.
Gmel. Syst. 793-
THE FIELD-LARK.
PLATE XLVII.
Tie bill is black at the point, of a dusky flesh colour
at the base. A line of pale straw colour passes over
the eyes; and the cheeks below the eyes are of a
dusky straw colour. The upper part of the bird, from
head to tail, is a dusky olive. On the head and back,
each feather is dusky in the middle; the edges being
lighter, but not so on the rump. ‘The feathers of the
wings are of a dusky black, with olive coloured edges.
The tail feathers are of a dull black, with pale brown
or olive edges, except the outmost two on each side,
the first whereof is white, the other partly so.
The throat is a pale kind of buff colour, and desti-
tute of spots. The breast is a darker buff, and mark-
ed with numerous black spots, tending downwards.
The belly is of a dusky white. Legs and feet, a pale
flesh colour.
This bird greatly resembles the Titlark, in descrip-
tion, but is distinguished from that bird by being of a
shorter body and a paler colour; and above all, by
the hind claw, which is shorter and much more curv-
ed. The Field-Lark most generally sits on walls or
on the ground ; sometimes, however (of which I have
seen only two instances), it sits on trees, from which
it ascends a little way in the air and sings. Its song is
- weaker and meaner than that of the Titlark.
The Black-veined white Butterfly* feeds on haw-
thorn, when in the caterpillar state; changes to a
chrysalis in May, and appears on the wing in June and
the beginning of July.
* Papilio Crategi.
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4
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CAMBRIDGE. MA USA
LODE
Orb Pee des der ger
NEST AND EGGS OF THE FIELD-LARK.
PLATE XLVIII.
This nest, like that of the Woodlark, had a bed of
moss for its foundation, which fell off when the nest
was taken up. The whole outside is made of the
stems and blades of dead grass, and the middle lay or
coat, of a finer sort of the same matter; the lining
was made of the finest part of the grass, with a few
hairs. Most birds vary in the choice of their mate-
rials; whether from carelessness, necessity, choice, or
what other cause, I know not, but so we find them,
The nest I now describe is lined with the finest blades
of grass, mixed with a few hairs. I have seen nests of
the same bird, with a thick lining consisting wholly of
hair, and others quite destitute of that article.
Five eggs are in this nest, of a brown mottled
colour, having a kind of dull purple cast; a colour
more easily expressed by the pencil than described by
the pen.
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NT At Wo,
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MOTACILLA BOARULA.
Lin. Mentis, 527.
THE GRAY WAGTAIL.
PLATE XLIX.
Ke bill and eyes, black; cheeks, ash-colour; over
the eye, a white line, which takes its rise at the base
of the upper mandible: another white line arises at
the base of the lower, is extended below the cheeks,
and curved towards the back part of the neck, divid-
ing the gray colour of the cheeks from the black of
the throat. The top of the head and back, are a
grayish ash colour; the rump, a dull greenish yellow.
The tail is long and a little forked ; the two outmost
feathers on each side, white ; the rest black with green
edges: the first and second order of quills are black
with gray edges ; the last order have broad margins of
a pale gray, and are very long, the third from the
body, reaching to the tip of the first quills, as in the
Larks. The throat in the male is black; in the female,
a dusky yellow.
The breast, belly, and covert feathers under the tail,
in both sexes are a bright yellow.
The little Dragon-fly* figured on the plate, is on
the wing in May. Its haunts are near ponds and
rivers; it is frequent amongst the bushes beside the
river Calder, near Halifax, and is, I think, the prettiest
species of Dragon-fly we have in England.
Libellula Minus Linnzi.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE GRAY-WAGTAIL.
PLATE L.
The Gray-Wagtail comes to us in April, and leaves
us before winter. Its haunts are constantly stony
brooks or rivulets. The nest 1s most generally placed
on the ledge of some rock whose foot is washed by
the current. The materials are dried grass, moss, and
fibres of roots. The nest I now describe, was placed
on a moist overshadowed rock, about six feet from the
surface of the water.
The outside consists of roots, moss, and grass; the
next coat consists of the same materials, but smaller
and finer; the lining, immediately under the eggs, is
a plentiful mixture of black and white hair. The nest
is firm, round, and compact.
The eggs are four or five; the ground colour a
dead white, and are speckled with small brown spots.
The cock has a pleasing song in breeding time ;_ his
voice is low, but the notes are soft and well varied.
I am informed that this bird abides in England all
the year, that it comes into the north in summer to
breed, and retires to the south to spend the winter.
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MOTACILLA LUSCINIA.
Lin. Syst. 328.
THE NIGHTINGALE.
PLATE ‘LI.
Te bill is black at the tip; of a pale flesh colour
at the base. The mouth within, orange colour; the
head black. The wings and tail are of a tawny brown,
only the upper part of the tail, and the edges of the
wing feathers, are of a stronger and brighter hue, in-
clining to an orange red.
The throat and breast are of a dusky white, having
faint touches of a darker hue tending downwards.
The belly is white; the feathers under the tail, a very
pale buff colour.
The hen is distinguished from the cock, by being a
smaller bird; by being of a more dull colour; and
by having a greenish shade on the back.
The Tortoise-shell Butterfly * feeds on nettles when
a caterpillar ; changes to a chrysalis the beginning of
June, and appears on the wing about the end of the
same month. There is a second brood, which are in
chrysalis the beginning of August, and are on the wing
before September.
The shell, on the plate, is a curious variety (with
brown and yellow stripes) of the common land Snail.+
* Papilio Urtica. + Helix Nemoralis.
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PLATE LII,
It was never my good fortune to find a Nightingale’s
nest, neither have I been able to procure one from
my friends, though I have (for the sake of this work)
made repeated applications to gentlemen residing in
such parts of the kingdom as the Nightingale frequents.
The nest figured on my plate, is exactly copied from a
coloured drawing, generously sent to me by my worthy
friend John Latham, Esq., who caused his daughter to
make it from a perfect nest in his possession.
The song of the Nightingale is too well known and
too much celebrated to require any of my dull encom-
iums. Plinie’s description of it is beautiful and cur-
ious, vide Plin. Hist. Nat. lib. 10, chap. 29. Which
(translated into English) you may find in Plinie’s Nat-
ural History, by Philemon Holland, Doctor of Physic,
published in London in the year 1634. Not only in
the time of Pliny, but long before him, and since,
down to this day, this poor bird has been the butt of
whining lovers, theatrical writers, romancers, novelists,
poets, poetasters, and liars of many other denomina-
tions.
The Nightingale was a favourite of Milton, who, in
one place prettily and truly says,
The Wakeful bird
Sings darkling; and, in shadiest covert hid,
Tunes her nocturnal note.
In another place he says,
She all night long her am’rous discant sung.
Which is false, for she does not seng all night long.
The caterpillar of the Peacock Butterfly,* feeds on
nettles; becomes a chrysalis the beginning of July,
and appears on the wing in the beginning of August.
Papilio Jo. Linn.
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MOTACILLA PHCENICURUS.
Lin. Syst. 335+
THE REDSTART.
PLATE LIIT.
slate bill is black at the point, of a dusky flesh colour
at the base; the eyes black; the inside of the mouth
yellow. The brow, just above the bill, is black; the
forehead white; the throat and cheeks black; the
crown of the head, shoulders, and back, a dark lead
colour. The lower parts of the back and covert feath-
ers of the tail, orange colour; as are also the breast
and the tail, except the two middle feathers. The
wings are a dusky brown; the belly and thighs, white;
the legs and feet black.
The hen differs in colours from the cock, in want-
ing the white on the forehead; and the space of the
throat, which is black in the cock, is of a mixed brown
and yellow inthe hen. The head and back are of an
olive brown, and the belly of a pale dusky yellow. In
all these parts where the cock is red, the hen also is
red, but of a duller hue.
The black and yellow fly, on the plate, is the
Conops Macrocephalus of Linnzeus ; it has no English
name. I have met with it about willow trees, in
moist places; but it is not common.
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VANVARD UNIVERSITY
CAMBRIDGE. MA USA
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE REDSTART.
PLATE LIV.
The Redstart makes her nest in walls, crevices of
rocks or hollow trees: the materials are moss, dried
herbs, wool, and feathers. The nest, now before me,
consists, for the most part, of various kinds of moss,
with here and there a little wool mixed amongst it,
and is loosely bound together with dried blades and
stalks of grass. The lining is of red cow’s hair, with
a few feathers laid upon it. The eggs are five or six
in number; blue, with a cast of green, and destitute of
spots. The Redstart is one of our summer visitors ;
comes in April and leaves usin September. The Cock
sings pleasantly in breeding time; his song nearly re-
sembles that of the Redbreast, but is lower and not so
well varied.
What is recorded by Ray and others concerning the
sullenness of this bird, Ihave not, on trial, found to
be true.
me
Newt ahd Coan of eK autonk Dyssen 4a mathe Corner, by f Bolton, Malifa x.
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“ 0 UNIV ERSERY,
~'ealnsnlDeE, MA USA
cob Dap der gender
MOLACILLA RUBECULA.
Lin. Syst. 337+
THE RED BREAST.
PLA Ev ave
iLike Bill is black at the tip, brown at the base; the
iris of the eyes a pale brown; the pupil black; the top
of the head, the back and coverts of the tail, are of a
dusky olive colour; the wings and tail more dusky,
but the borders of the feathers in both are of the same
olive colour. The forehead, throat, and breast are of
~adull orange colour ; the belly, dusky white; the legs
and feet black. ;
I have figured the cock in the attitude which he fre-
quently assumes when in his summer retreats, amongst
trees and bushes, where he perches himself upon a
spray not far from his mistress and family, and sings
delightfully.
I have figured the female as we see her in time of
snow, when contracted to a ball, and shivering with
cold. She stands on a log at the back door, praying to
be admitted within the warmth of the kitchen fire.
The Brimstone Butterfly,* when a catterpillar, feeds
on the leaves of Buckthorn; changes to a chrysalis in
May, and toa Butterfly in June; frequents hedges and
the borders of woods, and 1s easily taken.
* Papilio Rhamni Linn.
1794. by James olton, Stannary, Peabsfu,
MCZ LIBRARY.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE REDBREAST.
PLATE LVI.
Redbreasts place their nests on or near the ground,
fixing them against the root of some old tree or mossy
wall, in a shady and quiet situation; sometimes they
nest about farm yards or hay ricks.
In the nest before me, a large quantity of moss, mix-
ed with a few oak leaves and small sticks, form the out-
er coat; being bound together with blades of grass and
straw. The middle coat consists of the same material,
but finer and softer.
The lining consists of a large quantity of cow’s hair.
The whole is loosely compacted, and the cavity shal-
low.
The eggs are five or six, of a sort of cream colour,
with brown red spots, most numerous on the larger end.
The Redbreast, when kept tame, is a pleasant bird,
and will sing in winter when most others are mute.
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MOTACILLA ATRICAPILLA.
Syst. Nat. 332.
THE SUMMER BLACKCAP.
PLATE LVII.
ine Bill is black at the point, elsewhere of a dusky
colour; the eyes are black; the crown of the head,
black ; the back, mouse colour, with a cast of olive;
the wing and tail feathers, dusky, with olive edges ;
the throat, breast, and belly, white; the legs and feet,
black.
The hen differs from the cock only in being the
lesser bird, and in that the feathers on the head are
not black, but of a reddish brown, as figured on the
bottom of the plate.
The fly is called Musca Muliebris ; it has no English
name. ‘The figure is magnified, the natural fly being
only about two lines long; it is a scarce species,
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MGZ LISRARY
HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
GAMSRIDGE. MA USA
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE BLACKCAP.
Pi AIRE SE Velits
The Blackcap comes to us in April and leaves us
again in September; inhabits shady woods. ‘The nest
before me is made of small stalks of dried plants, hav-
ing little tufts of soft moss here and there intermixed ;
the middle coat consists of a finer choice of the same
materials; and the lining is very fine fibres and black
hair. ‘This nest was built in a low bush, about two
feet from the ground. ‘The eggs are five or six, of
a dull white, with dusky spots.
The Blackcap, as Mr. Pennant justly observes,
“sings finely; it has usually a full, sweet, deep, loud,
«wild pipe; yet the strain is of short continuance, and
“his motions are desultory: but when he sits calmly.
“ and earnestly engages in song, he pours forth very
sweet but inward melody, and expresses great variety
“ of sweet and gentle modulations, superior perhaps to
* those of any of our warblers, the nightingale except-
“ ed; while they warble, their throats are wonderfully
6* distended.”
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MCZ LIBRARY,
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
GAMSRIDGE. MA USA
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MOTACILLA MODULARIS.
Syst. Nat. 329.
HEDGE WARBLER, OR SPARROW.
PLATE LIX,
‘ike bill, in the specimen I describe, is of a dusky yel-
low; in some the bill is black; the eyes are brown;
the head brown, with a shade of ash colour, and having
a black dash down the middle of each feather. The
back is of an orange brown, the middle of each feather
black; the rump, olive colour; the wing and tail feath-
ers are of a mouse colour, having their edges brown.
The throat and breast are a greyish lead colour; the
belly, a dusky white; the legs and feet, yellowish.
The hen differs from the cock in being smaller, and
the feathers of the back of aduller colour. The cock
has a soft, melodious, warbling song, most pleasing
when heard alone.
In winter it is a domestic bird, frequenting gardens
and farm yards; in summer, retires to hedges of Holly
trees to breed; sings on some low bush, seldom mount-
ing fall trees. Is known at Halifax by the name, Dun-
nock.
The Caterpillar of the large Tyger Moth*, feeds on
nettles and grass; changes to the chrysalis the begin-
ning of June; is on the wing in July; frequents mead-
ows, and is commonly found among new hay.
* Phalana caja Linn.
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NEST AND EGGS OF THE HEDGE SPARROW.
PLATE: ex,
The Hedge Sparrow most commonly makes her nest
ina Holly tree, or some other sempervirent shrub. The
‘nest I describe 1s made of coarse green moss, mixed
with wool and small sticks, and loosely tied together
with long blades of coarse grass. The lining consists
of red cow’s hair, brought in abundance, and rudely dis-
posed of. The cavity is shallow, and the whole but
loosely and awkwardly fabricated. ‘The Hedge Sparrow
lays five or six eggs; they are blue, and have a cast of
green.
LY Co gu of the K ad9e Sneserow: Publish ee Reb ninects April y’ ye 794
MCZ LISRARY.
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CAMBRIDGE. MA USA
01
Sp ubebaryreh re
MOTACILLA HIPPOLAIS.
Syst. Nat. 330.
THE PETTYCHAPS.
PLATE LX.
aie bill is slender; black at the point, yellowish at
the base; the mouth, yellow within.